This invention relates generally to apparatus for use in dispensing medication particularly in tablet or capsule form or the like for administration to a patient. More specifically, this invention relates to an improved medication dispenser station designed to safeguard a group of different medications against unauthorized access while permitting access by authorized personnel.
In a hospital environment, patients commonly require administration of a wide range of different medications in accordance with the medical treatment and/or condition of each individual patient. For example, many patients require administration of one or more medications in accordance with scheduled time intervals throughout a given day. Alternatively, or in addition, patients may require administration of other medications such as pain relievers, decongestants, etc., on an unscheduled, as needed basis. The relative complexities involved in administering many different medications to different patients creates a significant potential for human errors such as administration of an incorrect medication to a patient. Similar potential problems arise, of course, at other medical institutions such as nursing home facilities and the like.
More particularly, in the past, patient medications have traditionally been delivered from the pharmacy of a hospital or other medical institution to a centralized patient floor location for restricted access limited to a nurse or other authorized personnel. Medications are then selected from this centralized stock of medications for administation to patients, normally in accordance with written instructions provided by the attending physician. However, this approach relies heavily upon human selection and sorting of medications for administration purposes, with the unfortunate result that errors in terms of medication type or dosage sometimes occur. Moreover, maintenance of medications in a centralized stock has not satisfactorily protected the medications against unauthorized access and pilferage, especially with respect to narcotic type substances.
A variety of medication dispensing devices have been proposed over the years in attempts to increase the reliability and accuracy of medication administration to patients. The majority of these devices have incorporated timing apparatus with appropriate alarms to signal when medication administration to a patient is due. However, devices of this type still rely upon human selection and sorting of medications, with the result that administration errors can still occur. Moreover, in this type of device, separate devices are normally required for each patient, resulting in a relatively costly system requiring a large number of the dispensing devices to be purchased and thereafter programmed and filled on a regular basis. Still further, in many of these dispensing devices, access to medications loaded therein has not been satisfactorily restricted to authorized personnel.
Other types of medication dispensing devices have been proposed, for example, such as a centralized dispenser on a hospital patient floor or the like for dispensing a plurality of different medications upon operation by an authorized staff member. This type of device beneficially avoids the need for the staff person to distinguish the visual appearances of different medications for selection and sorting purposes, thereby reducing mix-ups in administration of medication to patients. However, such devices have been relatively complex in construction and operation, resulting in relatively costly products which have not been adopted for use on any widespread basis.
There exists, therefore, a significant need for an improved medication dispensing apparatus having the capability to dispense a variety of different medications in an accurate and reliable manner, wherein the apparatus is relatively simple in construction and operation. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages.